Contents

History

Peter Fletcher, a Michigan alumnus and chairman of the State Highway Commission with a "sly sense of humor",[1] ordered the inclusion the fake towns of "Goblu" (near the real town of Bono, Ohio, off State Route 2) and "Beatosu" (near Archbold, Ohio, just south of Interstate 80/Interstate 90/Ohio Turnpike at exit 25).[2] Note that on the printed map, the fictitious town names appear in all lowercase letters ("goblu" and "beatosu"), while every other town name is capitalized. As well, while all real locations are clearly marked, there is no specific dot, boundary line or other marker to identify the precise location of the two fictitious towns.

In a 2008 interview, Fletcher explained that a fellow Michigan alumnus had been teasing him about the Mackinac Bridge colors: green and white, the colors of Michigan State University. Fletcher noted that the bridge colors were in compliance with federal highway regulations, so he had no choice in that matter; he did, however, have more control over the state highway map. Fletcher said that he thus ordered a cartographer to insert the two fictitious towns.[3]

In their 2012 obituary of Fletcher, AnnArbor.com noted that the maps containing the fictional cities had a limited print run and have become collectors items.[1] The map's publication has also been noted as a good luck charm for the University of Michigan Wolverines that year; the team beat their arch rivals 14–3 in the 1978 edition of The Game,[2] which is the
greatest North American sports rivalry, according to ESPN.com.[4]

In popular culture

The fictional G.I. Joe comic book character Road Pig is recorded as having been born in Goblu, Michigan.[5]

The movie Paper Towns refers to the context of paper towns. In their description, it refers to fake towns on a map created by cartographers to deter copyright infringement. A map extent of Beatosu is shown as an example.[citation needed]